"i don't think it's fit for humans to live in this kind of environment" says this man. hundreds of flights were canceled or delayed, schools closed, residents urged to stay indoors and factories ordered to cut off production. ships forced to navigate cautiously through the haze. experts blame the cold windless weather for a cloud of pollution from cars, factories and coal burning that has sat over eastern china for most of the week, and there's been record-breaking levels in other cities, including beijing earlier this year. the government has announced many plans to fight the pollution but with little apparent progress. the dense smog in eastern china is starting to lift today but here in beijing it's starting to approach hazardous levels. the east and north of china are particularly vulnerable in winter, and we're really just getting into the coldest month. ian williams, nbc news, beijing. >>> when we come back, the latest test for lindsey vonn as she puts her sights on the olympics. >>> the scene today in alberta, canada, as lindsey vonn passed one more milestone on